'Lyrical Goa' : Brian reads at XCHR's History Hour ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Delhi-based Goan poet Brian Mendonça spent an enchanting evening at the Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Porvorim, Goa reading his poems for an edition of History Hour on 21 December 2006. The brainchild of Fr Delio Mendonça SJ, the fortnightly event is a space to discuss issues of interest to Goans -- with a historical perspective.
Time Out Mumbai carried a crisp announcement of the event on the 'Goa this fortnight' page (December 15-28 issue). Commenting on 'the pleasant, moody collection of [Brian's] work, Last Bus to Vasco: Poems from Goa' Vivek Menezes observes, 'We particularly enjoyed the readings included in the audio CD that accompanies this nicely packaged volume. They act as a useful series of snapshots of Goa's rapid transformation from sleepy backwater to global tourism hotspot.' Listed under the 'What to do' section and titled 'Lyrical Goa' Brian found his poetry on the same page as pork pies at Simpley Sausage Arpora ('What to buy') and Venite's, Christmas pudding at Fontainhas ('Where to eat')!
Weaving history into poetry Brian, said that he always saw his work as a calling to creatively document a way of life in Goa which is under erasure. For this reason his paper was titled 'History in the Making: Goa through Poetic Eyes 1987-2007.' He thanked Fr Delio, who introduced him, for giving him the opportunity to theorize his work.
Interestingly, he confessed that it was impossible for him to formulate a poetic history of Goa without arriving at some clarity about his own personal history, viz. where he was located in terms of Goa - a moment of searching, that his poem 'Sea in the Sky' (Vasco, 2004) brings out beautifully.
History is relative, opined Brian. It can be taken to mean a past of 2 minutes ago or 200 years ago. He preferred to see history as lateral rather than sequential. Thus we have simultaneous 'histories' in the making over the last two decades, viz. the history of Goan architecture ('Homecoming' 2000); the history of the railways in Goa ('Night Passage' 1998, 'Londa Station' 1999); the history of migrant influx in Goa ('Ei or Ie' 2005); the history of the poet's emerging Self ('Praxis' 1999, 'The Bells of St Andrews' 2005) or even the history of rain in Goa ('Xitona-Navelim!'1999).
Opening with 'Requiem to a Sal' (Vasco, 1987) which speaks of the axing of a tree, he said he wanted to dwell on themes written in the past but which continue to have contemporary relevance for Goa. The looming spectre of the Goa Regional Plan 2011 echoed in 'Gone are the trees / from the hillside green / as the sons of the fathers / seek homes of their own'('Homecoming' Vasco, 2000).
With 'Gina Peters 40, from Veroda, Cuncolim / Does a Miss Havisham' suicide and unnatural death in Goa reared its head ('Good Friday in Cuncolim' Cuncolim, 2003).
Brian observed that in terms of the number of persons in the State, Goa's suicide rate is very high. The insane in Goa are symbolized in Maria as 'You shriek and rush out / in our shorts/ and half-open blouse' ('Maria' Panjim, 2000).
And always the fervour of travel. . . from Goa, to Goa, within Goa, close to Goa . . . 'Last Bus to Vasco (Panjim-Vasco, 1987); 'Nataraja' (Pune-Panjim, 2005); 'Harbour Line' (Mumbai local, 2001) and the 'Fugitive' ( Goa Express enroute Delhi-Goa). . . looking at Goa though the prism of time and space. The dichotomy between two different locations, offered Stanley Valladares Smith who was an avid listener, can only be resolved through a third space - 'a referent' - through which a dialogue can be mediated.
One of the listeners asked Brian if he was pessimistic about change in Goa. 'Let's welcome change since you cannot stop it from happening' the speaker felt. Brian replied that change was a choice, and one needed to be cautious about it. The poems themselves do not make a value judgement -- they simply record events. They function at the level of feeling, bringing with it the intensity for poetry. Where and how the reader enters / interprets it is entirely up to him/ her - a fact which was also appreciated by Fr Savio SJ who spoke about the hermeneutics of a text.
'Fr Joseph Rowland Salema' (Siolim, 1999) brought home the flavour of St Anthony's feast at Siolim while 'Sonya' (2002) skirted the waves at Betim to end with Saramago's Portuguese lines ' Aqui o mar acaba, e a terra principia' [Here the sea ends and the land begins]. This led to a discussion on the languages which permeate Brian's poetry. Brian said he had no qualms about importing any language into the poem if it was striking and brought the poem alive. Last Bus to Vasco itself had 7. The economy of expression in the Sanskrit expression 'Vasudhaiva kutumbakam' [All creation is one family] was impossible to translate into English. Each word has its own resonance in its own language.
Bowing to Fr Delio's request, Brian ended by singing Goan dulpods and strumming on the guitar. Responding to the vote of thanks, he thanked the audience which had listened to him with rapt attention and in silence. To commemorate speech and silence, Brian chose to quote the Portuguese poet Eugenie Andrade in honour of the moment:
era o sopro distante das manhas sobre o mar E eu disse sentido os seus passos nos patios do coraçao. [there was the distant breath of mornings on the sea and I spoke, feeling its steps in the courtyards of the heart.] Goanet A&E http://www.goanet.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=216
